All Out of Love
"(Let her know that I would like to speak with her grandfather,)" Tada said to his man on the other end of the call as he gestured to one of his other men to come over to him.
"(Yes, sir,)" acknowledged his man on the other end of the call.
Tada ended the call and looked at his man who he had summoned to him. "(Call off the search,)" he ordered him as he got back into his sedan. "(Who I'm looking for has been located. Once you've spread the word, everyone is to follow after me.)"
"(Understood, sir,)" acknowledged the man, who promptly began seeing to his orders as Tada's sedan pulled away.
"(I'll have my answers soon,)" Tada said aloud to himself as his driver took him to Yuuji and Michelle's shop.
Back at the shop, Tada's man put his phone away and returned to Michelle. "(Our boss would like to have a word with your grandfather about one of the faces he may have painted tonight,)" he said to her.
Oh shit, Michelle thought to herself. She could feel herself involuntarily take in a deep breath and close her eyes. If Tada's man noticed her reaction, he gave no indication. "(Certainly,)" she said. "(Shall I call him out here or would your boss prefer to speak to him inside when he arrives?)"
Tada's men looked at one another then back at Michelle. "(He will want to speak to your grandfather inside,)" answered one of the men.
"(Very well,)" answered Michelle. "(May I tell my grandfather to expect your boss so that he is sure to be available when he arrives and thus not cause him to have to wait?)"
Tada's men looked at one another again. "(That is a good idea,)" one of them said when they returned their attention to Michelle. "(Making our boss wait unnecessarily is not a good idea.)"
Michelle nodded. "(Grandfather!)" she called inside to Yuuji. "(An important man is coming to the shop to speak to you! Make sure you are not busy when he arrives!)"
Yuuji heard Michelle call out to him and was instantly puzzled. He wasn't puzzled by what she said, but rather by how she said it. Though Michelle spoke Japanese fluently, the two of them normally spoke to one another in English. The fact that she was now speaking to him in Japanese made him think that she was somehow signaling him or trying to give him some sort of hidden message.
"(Okay!)" he called back to her. "(I will be ready and waiting!)"
Michelle turned her attention back to Tada's men and gave them a smile while silently hoping that Bobby would show up again and deal with whatever was now going on. "(See?)" she said to them. "(Everything's all set.)"
"(Why did you tell him that our boss was an important man?)" asked the first of Tada's men.
"(How do you know he is so important?)" asked the other.
"(I would have thought it was obvious,)" began Michelle quickly while trying to think of a good answer. "(Any man who has employees to conduct business on his behalf ahead of his arrival must surely be someone important.)"
Tada's men looked at one another and shrugged. Upon seeing that, Michelle knew that they accepted her answer.
Back in the alleyway, Bobby's pain subsided enough for him to get back to his feet. Once he was again upright, he found that his stance was unsteady. Another image came into his head a few seconds later. It was of a black sedan that was coming to a halt outside of Michelle and Yuuji's shop. The driver got out quickly and ran around to the rear passenger door. When he opened it, Tada stepped out, looking serious. In an instant, his heart leapt into his throat and then sank into the pit of his stomach. He knew the location of the next person he sought revenge upon, but it was several blocks away from the building where the woman he loved was at. If he returned to the festival to go after Tada and Anna left the hotel in the interim he wouldn't know where to find her and his opportunity to reunite with her would be delayed. A few seconds later, the sound of the crow's laughing caw in his mind snapped him back to his senses. "Fuck you, bird!" he shouted venomously to the skies. "You just made the decision for me!" Bobby realized that if Tada had somehow traced him back to Michelle and Yuuji, then they were in serious danger and it would be his fault if anything bad were to happen to them. The morally correct choice would be to go help them and confront Tada. As much as it pained him to admit it, this was more important than reuniting with Anna. After shaking his head vigorously for a couple of seconds to clear the haze in his brain, he set off back towards Michelle and Yuuji's shop. What I have become is not the real me, he thought to himself. I'm better than this. Right now, there are people who need my help. If I focus only on my revenge and ignore helping those who've already helped me, then my soul is forsaken and I don't deserve this chance to set things right. Despite my rage and the fact that I'm enjoying making them pay, I must remain true. I must remain Bobby Brewster.
Tada walked towards Michelle with a sinister grace in his step. Michelle noticed that his gaze was absolutely fixed on her and her heart caught in her throat. Without any introduction, she already knew exactly who he was. The disturbing rumors she had heard about him made her skin crawl. Instinctively, she did up a few more of the buttons on her shirt. When Tada reached her, he gave her a reptilian smile that made her want to flee from the scene in a blind panic. Somehow, she found the nerve to remain where she was, though she sensed it was the worst decision she'd ever made.
"(How can I help you?)" she said to him after a few seconds of hesitation.
"(I was told that your grandfather is doing some face painting and I would like to talk to him about it,)" replied Tada as he discreetly took in her appearance while never breaking eye contact with her.
"(He's right inside our shop,)" said Michelle quickly as she politely gestured towards the entrance to the shop. "(He's expecting you. Please, go on in.)"
"(Thank you,)" replied Tada as he smiled at her again. He then headed for the entrance to the shop and quietly instructed his men who had come across the shop in the first place to remain outside while he went inside to have his talk with Yuuji. The two men nodded their heads silently and took up a position in front of the shop with their backs to the entrance.
Inside, Tada surveyed the shop. It was obvious to him that it was a rundown curio shop for tourists. He spotted Yuuji sitting at a small table at the back of the room and made his way straight for him. When he got to him, he gave the older man a formal smile.
"(Hello,)" began Tada. "(I hear you are someone who has been doing face painting for people tonight.)"
"(I am,)" said Yuuji as he began to stand, though slowly so as to make himself appear slightly frail.
"(Please don't get up,)" said Tada as he motioned for Yuuji to sit back down. Yuuji complied, making himself appear grateful that whatever conversation they were about to have was going to be done sitting and looked Tada in the eyes.
"(How may I help you?)" asked Yuuji. "(Are you looking to have your face painted?)"
"(No,)" said Tada simply. "(However, I would like to ask you about a man whose face you painted earlier tonight.)"
"(By all means,)" responded Yuuji. "(And I will answer to the best of my abilities.)"
"(I hope for nothing less,)" Tada said as he smiled again. "(Tell me, do you recall painting a crow on the face of a white man wearing a hoodie?)"
Yuuji broke eye-contact with Tada and attempted to look contemplative so as to cover up the fact that he was nervous. Tada, on the other hand, remained quiet and stoic. He could tell that Yuuji knew exactly who he was asking about. He was also silently predicting that Yuuji was about to tell him a lie while simultaneously telling him part of the truth. While he hoped that his prediction was going to be wrong, he seriously doubted that it would be. If his prediction turned out to be correct, he was already prepared to do something drastic to pull the full truth out of the old man.
Outside, Michelle noticed the other sedans pull up near Tada's and watched as the rest of his men got out and formed a bit of a perimeter around the front of the shop. Oh, fuck, Michelle thought to herself. Things have just gone from bad to worse.
"(I do remember the man you are asking about,)" said Yuuji.
That's the true part, Tada thought to himself.
"(He saw my sign advertising face painting when he passed by our outside stall,)" continued Yuuji. "(So he stopped and asked my granddaughter about it. Whatever she said to him must have convinced him because he came inside. Once he was back here, I asked him specifically what he wanted. He told me, I did it, he paid me, and then he left with a smile. I didn't think there was anything out of the ordinary about the encounter.)"
And the rest is the lie, Tada thought to himself. He then smiled at Yuuji to acknowledge his statement. Yuuji hoped that he had been convincing enough and that this man, who was clearly a gangster, would believe him.
"(That's not a lot to go on,)" said Tada. "(Are you sure there was nothing else?)"
"(Nothing that I can recall,)" Yuuji said to continue his lie. Tada smiled at him again.
"(Come in here!)" ordered Tada to his men at the door. "(And bring the girl with you!)"
"(Yes, boss!)" answered one of the men.
Michelle's eyes went wide as she heard Tada's order and her head whipped about just in time to see Tada's other man grab her by the arm. With a smirk he hauled her away from the outside stand and dragged her towards the entrance. Upon seeing the two men at the door proceed inside with Michelle, the rest of Tada's men closed ranks and got into in a semi-circle in front of the shop that effectively blocked anyone approaching from being able to get close to the entrance.
Bobby moved through the sea of people attending the festival as fast as he was able, but it was slow going. He wanted to be angry at all them impeding his progress, but he knew that they were not doing it on purpose. "I'm gonna be late!" he exclaimed aloud to himself. "But the anticipation for what's coming is making it worth it! I just hope Michelle and Yuuji can safely hold out until I get there."
Inside the shop, Yuuji swallowed hard as he saw Tada's two men forcibly escort Michelle inside. He then looked at Tada pleadingly. "(This is not necessary,)" he said in as even a tone as he could muster. "(I've already told you what you wanted to know.)"
Tada ignored Yuuji and turned to face Michelle and his two men. One of the men stayed just inside the entrance and drew his gun from the holster inside his jacket. The other man continued forward with Michelle until they had reached Tada. Tada looked Michelle in the eyes and the smile that scared her returned as he reached out and cupped her cheek. Tada found her skin to be nice and soft and he fought hard with himself to maintain his composure and keep his lust at bay. "(You indeed answered me,)" he said to acknowledge Yuuji at last while still looking Michelle in the eyes. "(But what you told me wasn't the truth. Now, why would you lie to me?)"
"(I haven't lied,)" defended Yuuji. "(You asked me about a specific customer and I told you everything I know.)"
"(No!)" shouted Tada as he let go of Michelle's cheek and turned around to confront Yuuji. "(What you did was tell me a story in order to cover up what you actually know about him! Again, why?)"
"(Again,)" began Yuuji in protest. "(I have told you no lies! I have no reason to lie! Why would I not tell you the truth?)
"(That's precisely what I would like to know,)" replied Tada calmly, but authoritatively. "(Why? You see, I have something of a gift. I can tell when people aren't telling me the truth and I'm never wrong. And you, you're lying to me!)"
"He's not lying!" shouted Michelle to interrupt the conversation. Tada turned his head and gave Michelle a serious look.
"Oh really?" asked Tada, trying not to sound amused.
"Yes," responded Michelle. "Really. This 'gift' of yours is wrong!"
"I doubt that," retorted Tada coldly. He then got very close to Michelle's face. "You know, you shouldn't interrupt. Especially when men are talking. Clearly, you don't know your place."
"My place is to defend my grandfather!" snapped Michelle as she stared Tada in the eyes with fire in her own. "Especially when other people call him a liar!"
"Michelle," began Yuuji. However, before he could say anything more, Tada held up a hand to signal him to stop talking. A look of what could only be described as amusement came to Tada's face as he stared back at Michelle.
"(I can see that this conversation is currently going nowhere,)" said Tada to Yuuji after a few tense moments of silence between him and Michelle. "(I think it's time to change that.)"
With that, Tada looked at his man, who had taken a step away from Michelle, and gave him a subtle nod. Michelle saw Tada's nod while Yuuji saw the man silently nod in return. Before he could object, the man grabbed Michelle's arms and pinned them behind her.
"What the?" exclaimed Michelle.
"No!" shouted Yuuji. "(Please, leave her alone!)"
"(I would have,)" began Tada as he looked at Michelle. "(But simple politeness didn't get me the answers I seek. So, now, a healthy amount of impoliteness will have to suffice. You, not I, brought what's going to happen next on your granddaughter.)"
Bobby managed to get past most of the crowd but was still a distance away. He was able to just make out a row of black sedans parked on the street that looked very similar to the one that had been outside the apothecary. "Almost there," he said. "I hope I'm not too late."
Michelle saw Tada smile again and noticed that his gaze left her eyes and began to wander down her body. Instinctively she struggled, but she was held firmly in place by Tada's man. As if in slow motion, Tada reached out his hands and gripped her shirt. He then undid one of the buttons. Yuuji was instantly on his feet.
"(Stop this this instant!)" he commanded.
"(You are in no position to give me any orders!)" Tada said as he peered over his shoulder at Yuuji. "(Come and sit the grandfather down. Make him watch, closely.)"
Tada's man at the door with his gun drawn moved forward and went over to Yuuji. He then pointed his gun at him and motioned for him to sit. Yuuji complied, slowly. Once he was seated, the man took up a position behind him, placed his free hand on his shoulder, and the muzzle of his gun to the side of his head. Tada smiled again and returned his attention to Michelle.
"I'm going to enjoy the next few minutes," he whispered in her ear. Michelle noticed a lecherous malice in his voice and her breathing got rapid from panic. "It looks like you're anticipating enjoying this too. Excellent."
With that he resumed unbuttoning Michelle's shirt and, when it was completely unbuttoned, flung it open. His gaze came to rest on her breasts. Yuuji opened his mouth and made a noise to begin protesting, but the man behind him gripped his shoulder tightly and pressed the muzzle of his gun harder into the side of his head to silence him. All the while, Tada gently placed his hands on Michelle's hips and began slowly moving them up her sides. Michelle struggled again, but remained firmly held in place.
"(Please,)" pleaded Yuuji, not caring about the gun to his head. "(Please, let her go and I'll tell you everything.)"
"(You had your chance,)" replied Tada as his hands momentarily stopped on the outside of Michelle's breasts. "(Now, you'll see why you should have told me the truth at the beginning.)"
Tada moved his hands across Michelle's breasts slowly so as to extend both her and Yuuji's discomfort. Once his hands were almost together, he grabbed ahold of her t-shirt and ripped it open in a single fluid motion. He then placed his hands squarely on her breasts and playfully squeezed them. A single tear rolled down her cheek as Tada pulled the cups of her bra down and exposed both of her breasts.
"(Have I made my point?)" Tada asked Yuuji as he fondled Michelle's breasts.
"(Yes,)" replied Yuuji despondently.
"(Talk,)" Tada ordered as he continued groping Michelle.
"(The man passed by our stand outside and looked like he needed help,)" began Yuuji. "(My granddaughter brought him inside, we let him take a shower, gave him some clean clothes, and some food.)"
"(Did he indicate what his problem was?)" asked Tada as he let go of Michelle's breasts, reached around and grabbed her ass, and pulled her against his crotch. Michelle grimaced at this act, but was still powerless to do anything about it.
"(He said he had had a disagreement with some bad men and that his brother had been killed,)" continued Yuuji. "(I didn't ask him for any more details. After her was showered, dressed, and had eaten, I painted his face and let him get underway. That's everything. I swear!)"
"(And what of the crow you painted on his face?)" inquired Tada as he finally let Michelle go and turned to face Yuuji. "(What made you choose THAT?)"
"(It seemed appropriate,)" answered Yuuji a little frantically.
A look of rage came over Tada's face. Without any warning, he pulled his own gun from its holster under his jacket, aimed it at Yuuji, and shot the old man in the chest. Yuuji slumped back in his chair and Michelle screamed.
"(Appropriate?)" demanded Tada to the old man. "(By putting that crow on his face you decided that HEAVEN is on his side and will support whatever action he takes against those he's in conflict with! You had no right!)"
"(Boss!") shouted the man who was behind Yuuji. "(Someone may have heard the shot. We should leave!)"
With a furious look still on his face, Tada glared at his man who had interrupted him. After a few tense seconds, his look softened and he put his gun away. "(You're right,)" he agreed. "(Let's get out of here! Leave the old man, but bring the girl. I'll have her added to the party tonight and then have her sold in the morning.)
Both of the men nodded their heads in acknowledgement and let Tada go first while they brought up the rear with Michelle. Once outside, Tada headed straight for his car. Somehow, no one seemed to have heard the gunshot and everyone was going about their business. What was noticed, however, was the fact that a half-naked Michelle was being escorted to one of the waiting cars. Unfortunately for her, most of the people in the immediate area knew who Tada was and were not about to cross him by doing anything that could be perceived as trying to help Michelle.
"(Put her in one of the cars and then stay around here for awhile,)" ordered Tada to the two men who had been in the shop with him as he got into his car. "(Keep one group of men with you. That white man might show back up here again. If he does, kill him. Then bring me his corpse.)"
"(Yes, sir!)" said the man from inside that did not have a hold of Michelle. Tada said no more and just closed his car door. A few moments later his car sped off. Presently, Michelle was place in one of the other cars and the door was closed. It then pulled off and followed after Tada. The men who remained behind at the shop did not know how long they should wait there, but were keenly aware that they should probably wait for at least a couple of hours.
Bobby had seen Tada and his men exit the shop with Michelle and had begun forcing his way through the crowd without giving any care or consideration to those he was now pushing and shoving so that he might reach them in time and rescue her. Unfortunately, the two cars sped away before he was on the scene. Upon seeing them depart, he froze in place and pondered his next move. In an instant, an image of the scene from the crow's point of view entered his mind. He saw that two of the sedans and eight men were still at the scene. The image then flashed out of his mind and the scene from his perspective return.
"I'll just have to take them all on," he said as he cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. "This'll be an appetizer before the main course."
With that, Bobby walked briskly up to Tada's man who was closest to him and, before the man even knew he was there, punched him in the side of the face. As had happened to multiple opponents in the ring, the man just went straight down where he stood in an unconscious heap. In a blur, he did a back spin kick to the next closest man and sent him flying backwards. The rest of the men saw the second man go down and immediately went to pull their guns. Before the third one could even touch his gun, Bobby was right in front of him, punched him in the face to stun him, and then punched him in the gut to double him up. He then rolled over that man's back and was in front of the fourth man. The man extended his arm with his gun in his hand and shot Bobby squarely in the chest. Bobby ignored the shot, grabbed the man's outstretched arm with one hand, bent it backwards painfully, and then used his free hand to deliver an open-handed blow to the man's elbow so as to bend it the wrong way. The man screamed out in pain, but was quickly silenced by a simple high kick to his face that knocked him flat on his back and out cold. The rest of the men opened fire on Bobby. Despite the fact that all of their shots hit their mark, Bobby simply ignored them and pressed forward. In less than a second, he was in front of the fifth man, who was still shooting at him. Bobby grabbed the man's arm by the wrist with ferocious speed with one hand and used his other hand to bend it back at him so that his gun was under his chin. Before the man could respond, Bobby trapped the man's finger on the trigger with the same hand he had used to bend the man's arm back and squeezed it. The resulting action caused the man to pull the trigger on himself. The three men who were still standing watched in horror as the top of the man's head blew off. Bobby looked at them and gave them a wicked grin. The next closest man dropped his gun and put his hands up to signal his surrender. Bobby briefly cocked his head to one side and passed the man by so as to go for the last two men, the two men who had been inside the shop with Tada. The moment his back was to the other man, the man picked up his gun and shot Bobby in the back. Bobby played along and fell face-first onto the pavement. Thinking that he'd finally stopped him, the man moved forward and stood over Bobby's body and with his gun aimed squarely at him. Bobby could hear the man breathing rapidly from both exertion and fright. Without warning, Bobby was suddenly up on one knee and delivered a vicious uppercut to the man's groin. The man gasped, whimpered, and then fell to the ground unconscious in a crumpled heap. As Bobby rose to his feet to confront them, the two men who had been in the shop with Tada stepped back into the shop. By this time, the second and third man had recovered enough to try and stop Bobby by shooting him with their guns. Bobby just turned and looked at them, a tad irate. The two men finished emptying their guns into Bobby with no effect and began reloading. As they were doing so, Bobby ran at them, jumped into the air, and did a blindingly fast triple kick to the two of them that sent them sprawling onto the pavement. Bobby landed easily on his feet and looked to see if either of them was still a threat, or at least at as much of a threat as one could possibly be to a man who was, by all accounts, impervious to physical harm. Seeing that one of them was trying to rise to his feet, Bobby quickly kicked him in the ribs in the same way a football player trying to score a field goal would. The force of his kick lifted the man up a couple of inches before he slumped to the ground in agonizing pain. Bobby then looked at the other man and, deciding he didn't want to wait for him to try and get back to his feet, just knelt over him and punched him hard in the face twice to knock him out completely. Now realizing his visible opponents were down and out, he stood up and looked down at himself. His clothes now had numerous more holes in them than before.
"A needle and thread and they'll be good as new," he said light-heartedly. "Now for the last two."
With that, he strolled to the entrance to the shop while whistling a cheery tune. When he got to the entrance, he playfully stuck his head inside and looked around. "Come out," he said to those inside. "Come out wherever you are! Olly olly oxen free! Come out, or I'll come in!"
The two men stepped into view with their guns pointed at him. Bobby smiled and stepped into the shop with his arms up in a mocking fashion. Despite the fact that it had not worked so far, the two men shot at Bobby again. As before, Bobby just stood there and took the shots. When the men's guns were empty, Bobby smiled at them. "My turn!" he said playfully and ran at them.
In an instant, Bobby did a jumping overhand strike aimed at the man who had held Yuuji at gunpoint. His blow knocked the man to the ground and Bobby turned to face the man who had held Michelle. The man took a step back, but Bobby just took a step forward and punched him in the mouth. As the man reeled backwards and slammed into the wall, an image coursed into Bobby's mind from when the man was holding onto Michelle. He could feel that the man enjoyed restraining her so that Tada could easily assault her. He could also sense that the man had felt a degree of sexual arousal as well.
"Oh no you didn't!" Bobby said to him angrily as he grabbed him by the throat and dug in his fingers. The man gasped and struggled, but Bobby's grip was solid. "She didn't deserve that!"
The man gasped again and there was a pleading look in his eyes. Unfortunately for him, Bobby was not in the mood for mercy. Bobby tightened his grip, looked the man squarely in the eyes, and then tore his throat out. The man gurgled and collapsed to the floor, dead. Hearing that the other man was slowly recovering, Bobby turned around and glared at him. With no warning, he grabbed the man by the head with both hands and snapped his neck in a single swift motion before letting him also fall to the ground, dead. A sudden calm washed over him and he heard a cough. Looking to the origin of the sound, Bobby saw Yuuji still sitting slumped in his chair, and somehow still alive. He rushed over to the old man and took his hand in his.
"I'm sorry that I brought this down upon you," Bobby said in a sincerely apologetic tone.
"They took her," gasped Yuuji. "Please, get her back."
"I will," promised Bobby. "But I've got to help you first."
"No time," Yuuji said weakly.
Bobby could tell he had mere moments left. In desperation, he put his free hand on Yuuji's wound and closed his eyes to concentrate. He willed whatever powers of regeneration he now possessed to help the man who had helped him. As he did, the crow flew into the shop and landed on the counter to stare at them both. It cawed briefly, but not the laughing and mocking caw it usually gave off. This time it seemed more ominous, more like disapproval. Then, Bobby felt something metal in his hand. He opened his eyes and took his hand off of Yuuji's chest and discovered that he was now holding the bullet from Yuuji's chest and Yuuji's wound had been completely healed. Yuuji let out a relieved breath.
"How did you do that?" he asked.
"I don't know," Bobby said in amazement as he stared at the bullet.
"Regardless of how you did it," began Yuuji. "I'm grateful to you."
Bobby put his forehead to Yuuji's, dropped the bullet to the ground, and placed his hand reassuringly on the back of the old man's head.
"You and Michelle are my friends," he said softly. "You took me in. I care for you both. And I will see the evil done to you set right. You have my word."
To be continued…